Yarn guide with delayed yarn release for winding machines



Sepf. 25, 1962 c. S E 3,055,602

YARN GUIDE WITH DELAYED YARN RELEASE FOR WINDING MACHINES Filed May 19, 1960 INVENTOR CARLToA $7Z BY Milka ATTORNEY United States Patent 3,055,602 YARN GUIDE WITH DELAYED YARN RELEASE FOR WINDING MACHINES Carlton A. Steele, Norwood, R.I., assignor to Leesona Cgl'pllgafion, Cranston, R.I., a corporation of Massac use s Filed May 19, 1960, Ser. No. 30,310 2 Claims. (Cl. 24218) This invention relates to yarn guides for textile winding machines and is concerned more specifically with a yarn guide adapted to temporarily engage a moving strand of yarn and, after passage of a predetermined interval, to release the strand. It may, for example, find application to a winding machine having a constantly traverse means and a package which must achieve normal rotating speed from rest position, the guide of the invention directing the yarn to the package until normal speed has been reached and then releasing the yarn to the traverse means.

In U. S. Patent 2,764,362 to Goodhue et al., entitled Winding Machine, issued September 25, 1956, there is disclosed and claimed a fully automatic winding machine for winding yarn, or the like, into various for-ms of packages, especially cones. In essence, the machine of this patent consists of a winding section including a winding mandrel mounted for controlled movement between a winding position, a braking position, and a reverse rotation position and a driving drum for the winding mandrel which is provided with an endless groove to traverse the yarn being wound upon the mandrel; an end-finding and re-uniting section, operable in the event of thread breakage, including a knotter and separate means for finding the respective free ends of the broken yarn and for conveying them to the knotter to be joined together; a preliminary yarn servicing section including means for detecting, tensioning and cleaning the yarn supplied to the mandrel; and an enclosed control section for superintending the various other sections and controlling the functioning thereof. In the arrangement of the patent, the yarn knotter was supported on a part of the machine frame at a site slightly forwardly and adjacent to one end of the winding mandrel and the driving drum therefor.

As already indicated, upon the thread breakage during the winding operation, the machine was equipped with means for locating both of the free ends of the broken yarn and for delivering these ends to the knotter, which, after re-uniting the ends, released the yarn to the traversing groove of the driving drum, whereby winding could proceed as before. During the end-finding sequence and incidentally thereto, the winding mandrel was moved first to braking position to halt its forward rotation and then to reverse rotation position at which the mandrel was rotated backwardly to allow the delivery end of the broken thread to be extricated from the wound convolutions of the package on the mandrel, engaged by a suitably designed device and delivered to the knotter. When the yarn ends had been re-united by the knotter, the winding mandrel was moved to braking position to halt reverse rotation and then to winding position to reinitiate normal advance of the thread onto the package. All the while these several operations were being performed, the rotation of the grooved driving roll proceeded at full speed with the result that when the thread was released by the knotter, it was immediately engaged by the groove of the roll and traversed back and forth onto the package at the same rate as for normal winding. However, the timing of the release of the yarn from the knotter substantially coincided with the movement of the winding mandrel to normal winding position, at which stage the winding mandrel had essentially zero speed of rotation and an appreciable interval necessarily had to pass before the mandrel had regained normal operating speed by virtue of frictional contact with the peripheral surface of the driving drum.

During this interval, the yarn was being traversed at the regular rate but was being advanced, at least at the beginning, at a much reduced rate. Consequently, instead of being wound in the usual convolutions upon the package, the yarn was merely zig-zagged in closely spaced loops, i.e., laid in a compressed sinuous pattern, on the package periphery with the period of the loops growing longer and longer until the package had finally achieved normal take-up speed to lay down the convolutions in the normal pattern. The existence on the package of such zig-zag loops was found to be quite objectionable when the yarn was processed subsequently, as during weaving, rewinding, etc., since they naturally tended to introduce unexpected slack as well as to slough oif the package and form snarls or become entangled in parts of the machine.

There are several ways in which a solution to this problem could be approached. For example, the rotation of the driving drum could be checked during the endfinding cycle and then re-started in timed relation to the return of the winding mandrel to winding position, or the yarn knotter could be designed so as to retain the yarn temporarily and deliver the same to the traverse roll only When the package was up to speed. However, it will be rather obvious that either of these approaches would require rather complex mechanism carefully integrated with the yarn end-finding cycle and add measurably to the complexity of an already highly complicated machine.

It is, therefore, an object of the present invention to provide a simple device which is adapted to receive the yarn from the knotter after re-union of the broken ends thereof and temporarily supplant the grooved driving roll as the guiding means for the yarn until the package has regained normal speed of rotation.

Another object of the present invention is a delayed action yarn guide upon which the yarn is deposited by the knotter of an automatic winding machine, said guide being adapted to retain the yarn thereon until the passage of -a suitable interval of time to allow the package being wound to achieve normal speed of rotation and then discharge the yarn onto the periphery of a traverse roll for delivery to the normally rotating package.

A further object of the invention is an elongated tubular guide having a helical groove on the periphery thereof and supported at one end from the frame of the winding machine for free rotation with respect thereto, the lead angle of said groove being inclined forwardly and outwardly toward the supported end, the axis of rotation of the tubular member extending in spaced parallel relationship to the axis of the traverse roll of the machine to maintain the path of the yarn passing over the guide out of the endless groove of the traverse roll, the opposite end of the tubular member terminating within the longitudinal confines of the traverse roll, whereby yarn deposited on the roller between its ends will engage the peripheral helical groove and cause the tubular member to rotate as the yarn advances, rotation of the member resulting in the yarn being displaced axially of the member away from the supported end and finally dropping off the opposite end onto the traverse roll.

An additional object of the invention is a guide adapted to temporarily maintain a moving strand in a position displaced from the normal path thereof, which guide is in the form of an elongated tube, having a helically grooved periphery, mounted for free rotation with its axis in spaced apart, substantially transverse relationship to the normal path of one strand, one end of the tube being essentially unconstrained to permit the strand to move 01f that end and return to its normal path, the direction of the lead angle of the groove relative to the direction of travel of the strand being away from the unconstrained end, whereby passage of the strand over the member causes the member to rotate, the groove shifting the yarn axially toward the unconstrained end for ultimate discharge from the end.

These and other objects and advantages will appear from the following detailed description when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawing, in which:

FIG. 1 is a view in front elevation of the guide of the present invention in operative association with a winding mandrel, a grooved package driving and yarn traverse roll for the mandrel, and a yarn knotter; and

FIG. 2 is a right end view of the arrangement of FIG. 1.

Before beginning the detailed description of the guide of the invention, attention should perhaps be directed to the fact that while the guide was particularly designed for use in association with the winding machine of US. Patent 2,764,362 and, for purposes of illustration, is shown in connection with the related components of such a machine, it is adapted to be employed with other types of winding machines as Well and will, in fact, find application with any system for winding yarn which includes a constantly moving yarn traverse member, whether in the form of a grooved roller or otherwise, and a winding mandrel which at some time during the winding operation must achieve winding speed from essentially a rest condition.

Indeed, one present guide has utility whenever a moving strand is intended to be temporarily maintained in a position displaced with respect to its normal path and, after an interval of time, permitted to return to its normal path.

Turning now to a detailed description of the invention, there is shown in the drawings only enough of the related structure of the machine of U.S. Patent 2,764,362 as is necessary to an understanding of the application of the invention thereto. Thus, numeral designates the delivery package being Wound upon a conical yarn holder 12 supported on a winding mandrel 14. Mandrel 14 is mounted for rotation upon a shaft 16 which is connected to the remainder of the winding section machine (not shown) in such a way as to permit the package to grow in size as the yarn is wound thereupon. In the drawings, the machine is set up for the winding of a conical package or cop but it will be appreciated that other shapes and types of packages could be wound as well by replacing the conical mandrel and yarn holder with other mandrels and holders appropriate to the formation of the particular package desired.

Package 10, holder 12 and mandrel 14 are adapted to be rotated by frictional contact of the package surface with the periphery of an elongated cylindrical driving drum or roll 18 disposed upon a shaft 24) for rotation therewith. As already indicated, shaft 20 is subject to constant rotation, the means by which the shaft is driven being omitted here. Drum 18 is provided on its periphery with an endless groove 22 which is adapted to engage the yarn being delivered to package 10 and traverse that yarn back and forth lengthwise of the package, the axis of drum being disposed, for that reason, generally at right angles to the path of the yarn to package 10.

Rearwardly of drum 18, i.e., to the right in FIG. 2, there is provided a rest plate 19 onto which the package is moved as indicated with a dotted line, by means not shown in order to bring the package to rest when yarn flow is interrupted. Eventually, when yarn continuity is re-established, the package is returned to contact with driving drum 18 to be brought again to winding speed thereby. Additional movement can be imparted to the package intermediate the two stages just mentioned, as is explained in US. Patent 2,764,362, but such movement has no bearing on the present subject-matter, and is not described here.

Located adjacent the left end (FIG. 1) of package 10 and drum 18 is a vertically arranged bracket 24 forming a part of the rigid frame for the machine, only the upper end of that bracket being visible in the drawings. Attached to this end of bracket 24 is a yarn knotter 26 comprising a box-like housing containing the operative mechanism of the knotter and an arcuate bill 28 projecting from the side of housing 26 proximate the package and drive roll. The major portion of the vertical dimension of housing 26 lies above the axis of drum 18, and bill 28 projects from a point adjacent the upper end of the housing downwardly and inwardly generally in the direction of the midpoint of drum 18 but terminates somewhat above the level of the uppermost point of the drum periphery. The details of the knotter form no part of the present invention but may be, and preferably are, substantially the same as those disclosed and claimed in US. Patent 2,670,230 to Goodhue. Thus far, the description has been confined to the parts of the winding machine disclosed and claimed in US. Patent 2,764,362, which, in themselves, have no essential relation to the present invention except to establish a context for the description thereof.

In accordance with the present invention, a generally V-shaped support member 30, preferably formed of heavy wire, or the like, is fixed at its ends to frame bracket 24 which is provided at spaced vertical points with suitable apertures to receive such ends, the marginal portions of the bracket being clamped between two opposed nuts 30, 36' in threadwise engagement with threads formed on each of the ends of the member. The upper leg 30a of member 39 extends inwardly from bracket 24 in spaced, parallel relationship to the axis of drum '18 at a level spaced vertically above the drum axis and the lower leg 39b thereof extends inwardly and upwardly from the point of connection to bracket 24 to its junction with upper leg 30a at the inner end. Lengthwise, member 30 stretches over at least a portion, preferably a major portion, of the length of drum 18 and beyond the inner termination of bill 28. Journaled for rotation on the horizontal upper leg 36a is an elongated tubular member 32 formed, for example, of a plastic, such as nylon, and provided on its periphery with a narrow helical groove 34. At its ends, tubular member 32 is recessed, as at 36, to receive and conceal stop washers 38, one for each end, which are fixed to horizontal leg 3011 at corresponding points along its length to restrain member 32 against axial movement. Preferably, free rotation of tubular member 32 with respect to leg 30a is assured by the interposition of suitable bearings between member 32, adjacent both ends and the leg. Bearings of either the sleeve or ball bearing variety are suitable.

The purpose of member 32 with its helically grooved periphery is to receive the re-united thread as it descends from the upper end of knotter 26 via bill 28, the thread finding its way into a portion of groove 34 and causing the member to rotate by virtue of frictional engagement of the thread with the groove sidewalls, such rotation, due to the inclination of the groove, gradually advancing the thread along the length of the member until it passes off the inner end thereof and descends onto the periphery of drum 18 to be engaged by groove 22 and traversed onto package 10. To this end, the leading angle of helical groove 34 must be such as to advance the thread inwardly toward the free end of member 32, i.e., to the right of FIG. 1. In the arrangements shown in the drawings, the thread passes over and around member 32. Groove 34 must be right hand in character, which is to say, that the lead angle of groove 34 extends from right to left in the direction of travel of the yarn. Considered more generally, the lead angle of the groove must always be away from, with respect to the direction of yarn travel, the end of the tubular member from which the yarn is to be discharged. For example, if the yarn in FIG. 1 were traveling in the opposite direction, i.e., toward the observer and was to leave off the same end,

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the lead angle would have to be opposite to that shown, but if it was to leave ofi the opposite end, the lead angle would be the same.

It will be seen that the interval that the thread is retained on member 32 is determined by three conditions: the speed of travel of the yarn, the lead angle of helical groove 34, and the effective length of member 32, that is, the distance on the member between the point at which the yarn is deposited thereon, .e.g., by bill 28, and the end from which the yarn leaves. By a suitable combination of these conditions, the member can be designed to retain the thread thereon for almost any desired interval, within practical limits, of course, and certainly for the several seconds required for package to achieve normal speed of rotation upon frictional contact with the periphery of drum 18.

For small packages adapted, because of their smaller inertia, to achieve operating speed relatively quickly, a fairly great leading angle and/ or fairly short tube will usually suffice. On the other hand, for large, heavy packages, a fairly small leading angle and relatively long member will be more suitable. Between these extremes, considerable choice of specific values is possible, subject to one proviso. In order for member 32 to be driven by the yarn, a certain amount of friction between the yarn and groove walls must exist and this friction is principally a function of the lead angle of helical groove 34, although the extent to which the yarn wraps around member 32 on its Way to package 10 is, to some extent, a factor as well. This follows from the fact that the yarn approaches member 32 essentially at right angles, the effective radius of the yarn during traversing movement being very great compared tothe diameter of member 32, with the result that the yarn is displaced laterally from that right angular path a distance determined by the lead angle. On the other hand, the yarn seeks to assume a straight path so that a certain lateral force is imparted thereto, which force tends, in eflect, to bias the yarn into engagement with the groove Walls. It Will be seen, therefore, that in order to utilize this effect to best advantage in increasing the friction between the yarn and the helical groove, the lead angle of the groove must at all times be greater than the angle that the yarn deviates from a right angle in approaching the tubular guide.

From a practical standpoint, the function of guide member 32 is to temporarily supplant grooved driving drum 18 as the means for guiding the yarn to the periphcry of the package being wound. Consequently, the member must necessarily be so positioned with respect to the axis of drum 18 to deliver the yarn directly to the package periphery out of engagement with groove 22 on the drum.

As seen in FIG. 2, this means that a line drawn tangentially to both the periphery of package 10 and the periphery of member 32 at the bottom of groove 34 must, at all points along its length, lie outside the external periphery of drum '18. Otherwise, the yarn might be engaged and reciprocated by the edges of the drum groove irrespective of the presence of member 32. Where a support member for guide tube 32 is used, having the configuration of member 30 in the drawings, the shape and location of the lower leg thereof necessarily must be such as to clear the normal path of the yarn as it is traversed by groove 22 on drum 18 during the normal winding op eration, with due regard to the angle to which the yarn extends upwardly toward the periphery of drum 18. In order that this requirement may be apparent from the drawings, the normal position of the yarn is shown in dotted lines with the designation Y and in solid lines with the designation Y at the temporary position with the guiding function assumed by the guide of the invention.

From what has been said with respect to guide member 32, it Will be seen that the convolutions formed on the yarn package while the tube is exercising control over the placement of those convolutions will not conform to the regular pattern laid down by groove 22 of driving drum 18 during normal winding, but, instead, Will consist of closely spaced windings of yarn lying consecutively in one direction on the face of the package. The presence of such windings on the package has been found to be completely satisfactory as they are free of the zigzag yarn loops. Thus, the guide of the invention is a simple and inexpensive solution to the problem of avoiding the formation of such loops on the wound package during the end-finding cycle of the automatic winding machine.

Several possible variations in the design and construction of the invention have already been indicated and those skilled in the art will appreciate that others will be possible without departing from the spirit of the invention.

Having thus described the invention, that which is claimed is:

1. In an automatic winding machine for winding a strand of yarn onto a rotatably driven winding package of the type wherein said package is brought to rest in the event of an interruption in said strand during the winding operation and is brought up to winding speed when continuity of the strand is re-established, said machine including continuously operative means for traversing the winding strand of yarn longitudinally of the package, a knot-tying device spaced from the normal path of the strand during winding which device is efiective to unite the strand to re-establish strand continuity after an interruption therein and yarn guide means associated with said knot-tying device and terminating above the normal strand path; the combination therewith of a supplementary yarn guide member interposed between said yarn guide means and said traversing means for receiving said united strand from said yarn guide means to hold it out of its normal path in spaced relation to said traversing means a predetermined period of time to permit said winding package to attain winding speed, said supplementary yarn guide member being adapted to move said united strand of yarn from a first point where it is received from said yarn guide means to a second point where it is released to said traversing means, both said first and second points being located within the longitudinal confines of said traversing means, said supplementary yarn guide member having at least a portion intermediate said two points of such construction as to retard the movement of the strand along the member between said points and retain the strand on the member for said predetermined period of time.

2. The combination as set forth in claim 1 wherein said traversing means is a rotatably driven drum having an endless yarn-engaging groove thereon, the periphery of said drum contacting the package periphery in normal winding position to rotate the package and said supplementary yarn guide member comprises a tubular member mounted for rotation about an axis substantially parallel to the axis of said traversing drum and having a helical groove formed in its periphery and extending from said first point to said second point.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,244,492 Karns June 3, 1941 2,715,308 Soussloff Aug. 16, 1955 2,764,362 Goodhue Sept. 25, 1956 

